Planooftaph co



G. L. B. DU COTEAU.

COIN FREED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6.1918.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Oct 14,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 1 .H: .Hwflm (3. L. a. nu COTEAU. COIN FREED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6.1918.

410014161 m' wvl g/mkwum 7 @mvwM/fl THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAIH c0., WASHINGTON, n. cy

e. L. B. DU COTEAU. COIN FREED APPARATUS.

APPUCATION FILED NOV- 6,1918.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Tm: CDLUMIHA PLANOGRAI'II c x. WASHINGTON. n. C

G. L. B. DU COTEAU.

COIN FREED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man NOV- 6. 191a.

Patented Oct. 14,1919. I

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Q um Tm; coumam PLANucnAPn' col, WASHINGTIJN, m c..

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GASTON LUCIEN BELLIN DU COTEAU, OEBECON-LESQRUYERES,

Y COIN-FREE!) APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedOGt; 14,

Application filed November 6, 191's; sriai my. 261,360.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GASTON LUCIEN BELLIN' DU GOTEAU, citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 92-Rue du 22 Septembre, Becon-les-Bruyeres, Seine, in the Republic of France, have invented new and useful Improvements in CoinFreed Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification. Y e

This invention relates to a coin-freed apparatus specially adapted for use in hiring articles of various kinds such as books, op-

era-glasses, etc., said apparatus being provided with means whereby a coin to be deposited as a security for the hired article must be inserted into the apparatus previous to removing the article and is automatically refunded to the user when the article is-replaced in position.

'In a preferred embodiment the apparatus is composed of a casing to which the book or other article is normally locked, said casing being provided with two openings into which two coins may be respectively inserted, the value of one coincor'responding' to the rent for the article and thevalue of the other coin corresponding to the security which is to be deposited for said article. In.

order to hire a book or other article it; is

sufficient to insert into the casing two suit-f able coins for instance a 25 centime p ece-v and a2 franc piece and toidepress a button provided on the casing. The book is then freed and may be removed. When the book is thereafter returned to the apparatus, the" two franc piece which had been inserted as a security is automatically refunded to the user. t

The improved apparatus-may be aclv ai1'- tageously used in hotels, onboard of'ships Y in railway stations, ra lway carriages and other public places in which apparatus pro vided with books or other articles to be hired have been arranged upon suitable shelves.

In the accompanying drawings, given byway of example:

Figure l is aperspective view of a numwith the invention arranged in a row on a shelf.

ratus.

2 is a perspective view of a book, in" which one leaf of the cover is provided on its upper edge with a metal bar which is adapted to be hooked or locked to the appa Fig s3 and tsliow a front elevation view and an edge view of the improved appa ratus, respectively.

Fig. isa vertical sectionalong the line AA in Fig. 3, the deposit coin having been 1 inserted.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the mechanism shown in the direction ofarrow. B in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a rearvie'w of the mechanism shown in the direction of arrow C in Fig. 5. Y

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of theapp'aratus along the broken line DD in Fig. 5. By referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the'apparatus comprises a casing or box 1 having a rectangular horizontal cross section and provided at the top with two sloping faces -2 between which two slots 3, a are formed for the insertion 'of two kinds of coins, the slot 3 being for instance adapted for the reception of one 25 centime by side on-a shelf 5 (Fig. 1) upon'whi'ch I they are fastened by means of a ledge 6 (Fig. 3) which is providedon the apparatus and insertedbehind a retaining rail .7 (Fig. 1) on the tray or shelf at the top, and at the bottom, the boxes 1 are locked by means a of a hinged ledge 8 which is safely secure in place by a lock.

The books tobe being provided on the opposite faces of each I hired are supportcdbythe bottom edges of their cover bearing= upon ribs 9 of ad acent apparatus, said ribsi witha notchednietalliebar 10 having their shape shown in Fig.2. Said bar is inserted into: a later al slot 11 of the apparatus in which it is removably looked as hereinafter described. The upper edge of the other half of the book cover issimply guided in a slotted member 12 on the adjacent appaber: of apparatus constructed in accordance Y ratus.

chutes 13, 14 which can swing independently about a common horizontal shaft 15 and are respectively arrangedfbelow the" slots 3,

Theroperating mechanism of the apparatus comprises essentially two tiltingcoin 5, 6 and 7, which coins are temporarily re tained by fingers 18, 19pivoted on ashaft 20. The points of said fingers extend through holes 21, 22 provided in the tilting chutes 13 and 14 which are also provided with holes 23, 24 through which pins 25; 26 can extend. Said pins are carried by a horizontal bar 27 secured to a spring blade 28 which is itself fastened to the box 1 by screws 29 and carries at its upper-end a push button 30.

The chutes 13, 14 are provided in their upper part with projections or teeth 31, 32 which extend at the outside of the box 1 into the slot 11 and'engage respectively into notches 33, 34 in the metallic bar 10 whereby the book is locked in place. Springs 35, 36 pressing against the chutes 13, 14 act to retain the projections 31, 32 in locking position.

Arranged below the tilting chute 14 in which the two franc piece is received, is a fixed guide or chute 37 extending to a slot 38 through which the piece is delivered when the book is brought back to its normal position in the apparatus. The rear wall of the chute 37 is provided at its upper end with a horizontal part 39 acting as a temporary rest for the coin.

The operation is as follows: When a 25 centinie piece and a 2 franc piece are respectively inserted into the slots 3, 4, they drop into the tilting chutes 13 and 14, respectively. They are retained in said slots by the fingers l8 and 19 and so cover the holes 23, 24 in said chutes, which are opposite the pins 25, 26. If the button 30 is then pushed inwardly, the pins 25, 26 striking the coins cause the tilting chutes 13, 14 to recede by swinging about the shaft 15 in the direction shown by arrow 40. The projections 31, 32 carried by the tilting chutes are thus withdrawn from the notches 33, 34 in the metallic bar 10 so that the book is immediately freed and pushed forward by the spring 41 (Fig. 4) secured on the box 1 in alinement with the slot 11.

,As soon as the book is removed and the button 30 is released, the tilting chutes are swung in the opposite direction under the action of the springs 35, 36 and'the pins 31, 32, which were formerly stopped by 'the edge of the notches 33, 34 bearing against shoulders formed at 42, 43 on said pins, can then project freely into the slot 11. By reason of the said additional move ment of the pins 31, 32 the tilting chutes are then tilted farther forward by the springs 35, 36 to a so called intermediate position in which the fingers 18, 19 no longer project into said chutes so that the coins can drop.

7 The 25 centime piece drops upon the bottom of the box 1 but the 2 franc piece is stopped by the edge 39 of the fixed chute 37 and remains partially in engagement within the vertical position.

a counter 45 is actuated every time a book is withdrawn from the apparatus, by means of a spring blade 47 secured to the upper right .hand corner of the tiltingchute 13. Said spring 'blade acts upon a ratchet wheel when the chute 13 is pushed rearwardly in the. direction of the arrow 40 by pressure being applied to the button 30.

Various details may of course be changed in the construction described without departing from the invention.

Having now described-my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A coin freed apparatus comprising in combination: a casing, a movable chute adapted to guide a coin to be preserved within the casing, a second movable chute adapted to guide a security coin to be refunded to the user upon the hired article being restored into the apparatus, a fixed coin refunding chute below said second chute and in alinement with the same when it occupies its normal position, means for retaining the coins within the movable chute when the latter occupy their normal position, means for displacing the movable chutes in one direction, said means being operative only when coins have been inserted into the movable chutes automatically 1 operating means for displacing the movable chutes in the oppos te direction to an intermedlate posltion 1n whlch the coins escape from the saidretaining means, locking members on the movable chutes cooper ating locking parts adapted to be secured to the article to be hired, said locking members and parts being so'constructed' that the locking members and parts are disengaged guide a security coin to be refunded to the user upon the hired article being restored into said apparatus, a fixed coin refunding chute below said security tilting chute and in alinementwith the same when vit occupies its normal position, fingers for retaining the coins within the chute when the latter occupy their normal position, a push button slidably mounted on the casing, pins connected to said push button and adapted to contact with the coins in the tilting chutes and swing the latter in one direction, resilient means for swinging the tilting chutes in the opposite direction to an intermediate position in which the coins escape from the retaining fingers, locking projections on the tilting chutes, a cooperating notched member adapted to be secured on the article to be hired, shoulders on the locking projections adapted to cooperate with the notched member and means for temporarily retaining the security coin within the corresponding tilting chute on a level below the retaining finger when the tilting chute occupies said intermediate position.

8. A coin freed apparatus comprising in combination a casing, a tilting chute adapted to, guide 211 coin to be preserved within the casing, a security tilting chute adapted to guide a security coin to be refunded to the user upon the hired article being restored into said apparatus, a fixed coin refunding chute below said security tilting chute and in alinement with the same when it occupies its normal position, fingers for retain' tilting chutes, a cooperating notched mem-' ber adapted to be secured on the article to be hired, houlders on the locking pro'ections adapted to cooperate with the notc ed member, means for temporarily retaining the security coin within the corresponding tilting chute on a level below the retaining finger when the tilting chute occupies said intermediate position, a spring blade carried by one of the tilting chutes and a counter adapted to be actuated by said spring blade. 7

4. In coin freed apparatus, the combination with a pair of tilting chutes to receive coins, of means for moving said tilting chutes in one direction, means for moving said tilting chute in the opposite direction beyond their original position whereby a coin may escape from one chute, and means for moving said chutes into their original position whereby a coin may escape from the other chute.

5. In coin freed apparatus, the combination with a pair of tilting chutes to receive coins, of a guide chute into'which one of said tilting chutes is adapted to discharge, means for moving said tilting chutes in one direction, means for moving aid tilting chutes in the opposite direction beyond their original position whereby a coin may escape from one of the tilting chutes, and means for moving the tilting chutes into their original position whereby a coin may escape from the other tilting chute into the guide chute.

6. In coin freed apparatus, the combination with a pair of tilting chutes to receive coins, of} a guide chute into which one of said tilting chutes is adapted to discharge,

means to prevent discharge of a coin into the guide chute from the last named tilting chute except when the latter is in a predetermined position, means for moving said tilting chutes in one direction, means for,

moving said tilting chutes in the opposite direction beyond their original position whereby a coin may escape from one of the tilting chutes, and means for moving the tilting chutes into their original position whereby a coin may escape from the other chute into the guide chute.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification.

GASTON LUCIEN BELLIN DU COTEAU.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

